Boys Don't Cry
by Lola-2011
Summary: A bitter breakup sends Mary to New York and Lou into the bottom of a scotch bottle.
1. Chapter 1

Boys Don't Cry

Chapter: 1

Rating: R-ish

It was a disaster, an absolute disaster. What started off as a fun little arrangement had blown up in their faces. A casual relationship was fantastic for a while, but then feelings got in the way. Then they decided to start openly dating each other instead of sneaking around but still see other people too. And suddenly what was once easy and fun became sloppy and complicated. They had feared that they weren't compatible enough for a relationship and they proved themselves to be right. Everything had become an argument and the only thing keeping them together was the sex.

They had experienced one of the biggest battles of all time. A battle that not even the most incredible sex in the world could fix. And it just happened to take place in the newsroom. A mistake to end all mistakes. Mary had walked out of WJM and apparently out of his life altogether. She made up some excuse to Phyllis about having to go to Roseburg and put all her furniture in storage. She couldn't get out of Minneapolis quick enough.

Mary stayed a few weeks in Roseburg with her aunt and then decided that it wasn't going to work. She needed a change of pace and not one that involved leaning how to crochet. So she did the only thing she felt she could, she called her best friend. Rhoda had been in New York about eight months and she seemed to love it. And within seconds Rhoda had convinced Mary she would too. Her sister Brenda was getting married and moving out so there would be a empty bedroom for her. And lots of job opportunities.

Carlton the doorman had buzzed her up and when she reached Rhoda's apartment she found her friend waiting in the doorway for her. "Mary!" she smiled. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

Mary was immediately wrapped in her friends arms. "I'm happy to see you, too."

Rhoda hugged her tight. "You don't seem that happy, Mare." she said, pulling back. "Something happen between you and Lou?"

"Oh, nothing really." she was vague.

She closed the apartment door. "You wouldn't be here if it were nothing." she said. "Until you called me I thought you had dropped off the face of the earth. Do you know I actually had to call Phyllis? I was shocked when she told me you went home to Roseburg."

"I needed a change." she forced a smile. "Sometimes a change of scenery can do a world of good."

Rhoda looked her friend over. "I know you're upset over something." she said. "But I've got to tell you, you look fantastic! You've gone from thin to voluptuous. How did you do it?"

"It was simple, really."

"Yeah?" she asked. "Mind sharing your secret?"

"Well pregnancy seems to have a way of filling you out."

"Preg..nan...cy?" Rhoda could barely get the word out. "You're pregnant?"

Mary was pretty use to the idea or so she thought. After all she had known about it for about five weeks now. "Yes." she replied. "I'm almost to the second trimester."

Rhoda was a little more than stunned. They shared everything with each other. She was the first person Mary called after she started fooling around with Lou Grant. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I am telling you."

"I mean before now." she clarified. "Why didn't you tell me when you found out?"

"I thought it was the kind of news that should be delivered in person." she told her, sitting down on the sofa. "And besides other than you noone knows but my parents."

Rhoda sat down beside Mary. "What about Lou?"

She shook her head. "No." she said. "We ended our involvement before I found out I was pregnant."

"Involvement?" she arched an eyebrow. "Your relationship is now an involvement?"

"Yeah." she breathed out. "I didn't know I was pregnant until after I left Minneapolis."

"And you don't think Lou should know he's going to be a father?"

"Of course he deserves to know." Mary said. "I'm just not ready to tell him just yet. Besides I don't know how he's going to take it. It's not like we were in a committed relationship. It was more like a series of one night stands."

Rhoda was thoroughly confused by the entire thing. She knew that Mary and Lou had been carrying on a relationship of sorts, but she really wasn't sure how to define it. Mary never really went into detail about it. "Even still you should really tell him, Mare."

"I'll tell him." she replied. "I just don't want to tell him right now."

"This is so unlike you." she said. "You're usually so open and honest and you always, always do the right thing."

Yeah, well, not anymore."

She moved closer to her and wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulder. "I know that you're hurt but things will work out, I promise." she assured her. "You should just take some time and calm down a little."

"I've spent the entire last month trying to do just that." Mary tried her best to fight back her tears. "I just end up angry and even more hurt."

"Have you talked to him at all?"

"No."

Rhoda reached forward and grabbed a tissue from the box on the coffee table. "Does he know where you are?"

"No." tears were now starting to fall. "I haven't talked to anyone since I left WJM."

"Why don't you try talking to him." she handed her the tissue. "It might help. I mean you have to start somewhere."

"No." Mary wiped at her running mascara. "I just want to forget about him for now."

"I think that might be a little easier said than done." she said. "Especially now that you're pregnant. I'll be a constant reminder."

"It hasn't been so far."

"And what happens when you start to show?" she asked. "Won't it be different then?"

"I don't know."

"You're really in love with him aren't you, kid?"

"I was." she admitted for the first time and to anyone. "Or at least I thought I was. We really didn't talk about how we felt."

"What happened between the two of you?" she asked. "I thought you were happy with things they way they were."

"Everything fell apart." she said. "Oh and he thought I was seeing someone behind his back."

"He thought that you were cheating on him?"

"Yes and I was having a hard time convincing him otherwise even though I shouldn't have had to." her tears had now turned to anger. "Our relationship has never been completely exclusive, we've always seen other people."

"So what happened to make everything blow up?"

"Well remember Matt Bryan?"

"Yeah." she replied. "The architect."

"Yeah well I ran into him one day and he asked me out for dinner." she explained. "So we went out and when we left the restaurant he kissed me. I was taken off guard a little, but I kissed him back. And Lou saw the entire thing."

"Is that all that happened?"

"Yes." she answered. "Lou and I have been seeing other people but I've never, ever had sex with anyone else but him since this entire thing started."

"Does he know that?"

Mary shook her head. "No." she replied. "I don't think so."

"I really think the two of you should sit down and talk this out." Rhoda suggested. "In six months the two of you are going to be parents. How did this whole thing start anyway? You never really told me."

"It started not long after you moved here." she told her. "I was a little lonely and I kept having these horrible dates. Anyway one evening after work Lou and I went out for drinks and we started to commiserate together and you know the story one thing led to another and well, here we are."

"But at some point the two of you starting openly dating."

"Yeah, about a month before I left Minneapolis." she replied. "We always knew we couldn't carry on a real relationship and that's why we decided to still see other people. We thought that things would be better that way."

"And clearly they weren't."

"Not at all." she agreed. "We're absolutely furious with each other. It almost makes me wish that we never started this entire thing."

"Mary, what about the baby though?" she asked. "How do you feel about being a single parent?"

"Well, it's not exactly what I had in mind, but I think I can handle it." she said. "The entire situation has thrown me for a loop. I never expected to get pregnant at this point in my life. I never expected my birth control to fail."

"No one does." she said. "Are you happy though, Mare?"

"Yes." she smiled since the first time they had sat down. "I'm very happy about the baby. It took me a little while to adjust to the idea, but I'm excited."

"You don't think Lou would be happy too?"

"I don't know." she replied, honestly. "We said some really awful things to each other and I don't think enough time has passed just yet."

"I really don't think it matters how much time passes, it's still going to hurt." she told her. "You're not going to heal until you talk things out. Just get it over with."

"I'm just not ready, Rhoda."

"This just isn't about you anymore." she pointed out. "At least call him and tell him about the baby."

tbc...

Feedback is welcome :)


	2. Chapter 2

Boys Don't Cry

Chapter: 2

Rating: R-ish

Murray found Lou sitting downstairs in the bar working on his third scotch. And more often than not this was where Lou could be found. Before the broadcast, after the broadcast, and sometimes even during the broadcast. Life was becoming one big cocktail hour. The drinking had increased steadily in the past month, ever since Mary left. And Murray wasn't quite sure how to reach out to him. He wasn't quite sure what Lou needed and he had no idea how to approach the situation that concerned Mary but felt like he needed to. Somebody needed to and it might as well be him.

He sat down beside Lou and ordered a gin and tonic. "Ted made it through the newscast without making a mistake."

Lou raised the glass to his lips. "Good." he took a drink. "It's good to know that even Ted can have a good day."

The bartender sat his drink down in front of him. "Thanks." he said. "Lou, if you want to talk about anything I'm hear to listen."

"What's there to talk about?" he questioned, taking another drink. "Everything's fine."

"No, Lou, I don't think it is." he said. "Things have been different since Mary left."

"Yeah things have been different." he agreed. "It took me forever to find a producer to fill her place."

"Have you talked to her?"

"Well, Murray, it's a little difficult to talk to someone when you have no idea where they are." he too another drink. "Besides I don't want to talk to her."

"I think you're forgetting that above everything else Mary is your friend." he reminded him. "You care about her and I think you wouldn't be as depressed if you knew where she was."

"I'm not depressed." he said. "Mary told me she wanted to get as far away from me as possible. I would like to respect her wishes."

Murray took a sip of his drink. "When people are angry they often say things they don't mean."

"No, she meant it." he took another drink. "She definitely meant it. You didn't see the look in her eyes, I did."

"She was just hurt, Lou." he said. "You're both hurting and the only way to make it better is by talking about it. If you're not going to talk to her at least talk to someone. It doesn't have to be me, but I think it would help you out."

Lou swirled the contents around in his glass. "Oh, I don't know, Murray." he sighed. "I've gone over it a million times in my head and I don't think talking about it is going to make a difference. I mean it is what it is. Mary and I got involved and it messed everything up. On top of that I lost one of best producers I've ever worked with."

"I really think you can fix this."

He finished off the rest of his drink. "I don't know if I want to." he said. "I never should have gotten involved with her, but I couldn't help myself. She's beautiful, and incredibly sexy, and sensational in bed. Being with her made me feel alive and wanted and needed. Made me feel younger."

"Then what went wrong, Lou?"

Lou ordered another double. "She was seeing someone else."

"Cheating?" he asked. "I thought the two of you had an open relationship?"

"We did." he said. "But I caught her with that Matt Bryan guy. You remember him? The architect. She dated him a few years ago and then he moved away."

"Yeah the guy with the son in his twenties."

"Yeah, him." he replied, taking a long drink. "Anyway, I'm no match for that guy. When I saw them together something in me snapped. I knew that she had been seeing other people but the thought of her with Matt was just more than I could handle. The only thing I could think about was him touching her the way I had the night before and it made my blood boil."

"Then why did you agree to still date other people?"

"Because our relationship wouldn't have worked any other way." he said. "There was nothing to our relationship but sex and that isn't enough to build anything on. That's why this entire thing is crazy, it's not like she was my wife or even my girlfriend. But if I couldn't handle the thought of her with someone else then our entire arrangement was pointless."

"A little jealousy is good for a relationship."

"It's more than a little." he took another drink. "And that much jealousy doesn't look good on anyone."

Murray downed the last of his drink. "I really think you should talk to her and straighten everything out." he suggested. "You know she's probably in New York with Rhoda."

"No, Rhoda didn't know where she was either."

"Mary's her best friend." Murray reminded him. "She's probably covering for her."

"No." he replied. "Unless something has changed Rhoda doesn't know anything." he said. "I wish I could go back to when this entire thing started."

_Lou pushed opened her apartment door after some initial struggle. Mary made her way inside, dropping the high heels that she was carrying in her hand onto the floor near the coatrack. "I don't think I've ever had so much fun in my life." she said, closing the door and leaning up against it. "Can I get you a drink?"_

"_I think I've had enough." he said. _

_Mary reached forward, grabbing his tie and pulling him to her. "What should we do now?"_

_Lou braced his hands on the door on either side of her. "We get you into bed." he told her. "You've had a lot to drink."_

"_I haven't had that much." she said. "Besides I'm not very sleepy."_

_The scent of her perfume was killing him. "Okay, you've had more than you usually have."_

"_I'm a big girl, I can handle it." she started to undo his tie. "Besides I hate going to bed alone."_

_Lou brought his hands up to attempt to stop her but she pushed them out of the way. "We'll get you into bed and you'll feel much better when you wake up." _

_She smiled, wickedly. "Does that mean you're going to stay with me?"_

"_Mary." he said. "You have no idea what you're saying."_

"_I'm more sober than you think." she toyed with his undone tie. "When I get drunk I get sloppy and I start slurring my words. I'm just a little tipsy."_

_Lou found himself analyzing her words. She wasn't slurring her words and she seemed to be fine just a little lighter than usual. "I really think you need some sleep."_

_She dropped the tie to the floor. "Sleep wasn't what I had in mind." she started unbuttoning his shirt. "You want to stay, you know it and I know it."_

_He was fighting her with everything he had inside of her, but he knew that she was going to win. "Look, Mary, you're right, I do want to stay." he was struggling to control himself. "You have no idea how much I want to stay, but I don't think it's a good idea."_

"_Come on, I know you want me." she said. "I've seen the way you look at me, you can't deny it."_

"_I do want you." he breathed out, closing in the space between them. "You have no idea how much I want you."_

"_Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea." she arched into him. "You know I'm not interested in a relationship and I know you're not interested in a relationship..."_

_She was silenced by his mouth covering hers. A deep, forceful kiss that left them convinced the were doing the wrong thing. They were playing with fire and eventually they were both going to get burnt. But the burning between them was too good to ignore. _

_He pulled away from her. "What do you want from this?"_

"_Sex." he had kissed her so hard and so thoroughly that her lips felt bruised. "Really, really good sex."_

"If I could go back I would have do things differently." Lou said. "Too late now, she's out of my life for good." Lou downed the rest of his drink, threw some money on the bar, and left.

tbc...


	3. Chapter 3

Boys Don't Cry

Chapter: 3

Rating: R

It had been about six weeks since Mary had moved to New York. She had gotten a job with a CBS affiliate at a small station as a producer. It was like channel eight back in Minneapolis, the station with all the ratings, the one that everyone secretly wanted to work at. The New York lifestyle took a little getting use to but she was managing just fine. She was enjoying her new start in life.

Rhoda had been trying to convince Mary to call Lou ever since she had moved in but she was getting absolutely no where. Her pregnancy was progressing, she was starting to show, and Lou was missing out. Not that she minded attending Mary's appointments with her, but she thought that Lou deserved to at least have the option. So Rhoda did what she thought she had to. She called him and convinced him to come to New York.

Mary came into the livingroom dressed in her pyjamas. She attempted to pull the tank top down over her burgeoning bump but it rode back up exposing about three inches of her curved lower abdomen. "I need to go shopping." she said. "Everything is too snug."

"Oh, I think you look cute." Rhoda said, slipping on a pair of red high heels. "And you have cleavage that most women would die for."

She looked down at her expanding bust line. "Yeah, I suppose so." she said, sitting down on the sofa. "They're still a little tender though." she reached for the remote. "So who's the lucky guy?"

"Phillip."

"Phillip from downstairs?" she asked. "The guy with all the muscles?"

Rhoda picked up her earrings off the coffee table. "Yeah." she replied. "We're going dancing."

"Sounds like fun."

She put the earrings on. "I just hope he's not one of those guys who goes on and on about himself." she said. "What you think? Look okay?"

"They're perfect."

Rhoda got up off the sofa. "You need anything before I leave?"

"I think I can manage, thanks." she said, flipping through the channels. "Have a good time."

"I'm certainly going to try." she picked her purse up off the table by the door. "I'll see you later, kid."

Mary stopped on an old Katharine Hepburn movie and was becoming quite engrossed when she heard a knock on the door. She got up off the sofa. "Rhoda." she drew out. "What did you forget?" she opened the door to find Lou on the other side. "Lou, what are you doing here?" she tugged her tank top down.

"I came to see you." he said, handing her a bouquet of flowers. "Can I come in?"

She took the flowers from him and opened the door. "Sure." she looked around for a coat or a robe. Something, anything. It was too late his eyes were sliding over her. This wasn't the way she wanted him to find out. She closed the apartment door.

"Are you pregnant?" he asked, a little stunned. He looked over her thoroughly. "You are, aren't you?" he asked, looking at her from the side. "You're pregnant."

"Yes."

"I thought you were on the pill?"

Mary nodded. "I was."

"Is this why you left?" he asked. "Because you're pregnant?"

"No it's not the reason." she said, laying the flowers down on the kitchen counter. "I didn't even know I was pregnant until after I got to Roseburg."

Lou was taking everything in, his mind was reeling. She would have told him already if he were the father. She would have. "How does Matt feel about it?"

"Matt?" she arched an eyebrow. "I don't know. He doesn't know. I didn't really think that there was any reason to tell him."

"I think he should know." he replied. "I mean it's the right thing to do, Mary. The man does have a right to know he's going to be a father."

"Why do you think this baby is Matt's?"

He shrugged. "Isn't it?" he asked. "I did see the two of you together."

"I didn't know you could get pregnant from kissing."

"Don't try to be cute, Mary."

"I'm serious." she said. "I had dinner with Matt once, the night that you saw us. And besides that was two months ago. I'm seventeen weeks pregnant."

"Seventeen?" he was trying and failing to do the math in his head.

"Yes."

"So who's the father?" he asked. "Who else were you seeing?"

"The baby's yours, Lou" she said. "Congratulations you're going to be a father."

He was absolutely silent for several long moments. "Are you sure?"

"What do you mean am I sure?"

"Well we were both seeing other people..."

"I'm positive." she was a little hurt, but given the circumstances she had no right to be. "You're the only possibility."

"You mean I'm the only guy you've been having sex since this entire thing started?" he asked. "What about all those dates?"

She shook her head. "No." she looked down at the floor. "You were the only one. I'm not the kind of woman who can carry on a sexual relationship with more than one man at a time."

Everything was happening so fast. He came at Rhoda's request and hoping that they could work things out between them. He wasn't expecting things to go back to the way they were at any point of their relationships, but he was hoping to find common ground. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

Mary raised her eyes to meet his. "Of course I was going to tell you."

"When?"

"I...I don't know when." she replied. "I was hurt and I was angry."

"I had a right to know, Mary." his voice was low and filled with hurt.

"And now you do."

"You should have told me when you found out." he said. "I would have been there for you."

"It's fine." she tried to gloss it over. "I've been doing just fine without you."

Lou had went from being shocked to being hurt to being angry. "I can't believe this!" he mumbled. "I can't believe that you would keep something like this from me."

"I'm sorry." she suddenly found herself apologizing. "I just...I didn't know how you were going to react. This wasn't planned, we weren't even really in a relationship. And I kept thinking about our fight and I really...I didn't think you would believe me, which you didn't."

"And I'm sorry." he said. "I thought...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed like that."

"No, it's okay." she assured him. "This entire thing is one huge mess."

He couldn't help but notice the smooth stretch of skin peeking out from underneath her tank top. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he felt like he had somehow lost that right. "May I?"

"Oh, um, sure."

His hand gently glided over her slightly rounded stomach. A smile played on his lips. "So everything's okay, right?" he asked. "You're fine? The baby's fine?"

"Yes, we're fine." she was starting to soften a bit. He was kind and gentle and she couldn't deny the love she felt. "I'm due in mid June."

"Let's start over." he took her hand and led them over to the sofa. "Are you okay? Can I get you anything?" he immediately went into overprotective mode.

"I'm fine, Lou, really I am."

"I'm sorry." he said. "I've just never been in a situation like this before."

Mary half laughed. "Neither have I."

"Yeah I guess you haven't." he replied. "There's so much to figure out."

"I think you need to slow down." she suggested. "There's plenty of time for us to figure things out. We have about five more months."

"Okay." he breathed out. "I guess that will give us time to get use to the idea."

"You know, Lou, you don't have to do this..."

"I want to." he said, firmly.

Mary nodded. "Okay." she said. "I just don't want you to feel pressured."

"I don't feel pressured at all." Lou assured her, reaching out to touch her stomach again. "I'm quite happy actually. Did you really think I wouldn't be?"

"It crossed my mind."

"I know that you said that you were sorry that we started this entire thing, but I wasn't." he told her. "And I'm definitely not now."

"I've missed you." she said, almost hating to give in and admit it. Like it would somehow make her less of a person. "And I'm sorry...about everything."

"I've missed you too." he leaned in and softly kissed her lips. "I'm sorry too, things really got out of hand. You know things haven't been the same since you left."

"I'm very happy to hear that."

"Pregnancy looks very good on you." he said, looking her over. "I think you may be even sexier than before."

Mary smiled. "Compliments like that will get you everywhere."

"Yeah, I know."

They were quickly falling back into old and familiar habits, but damn it felt so right. So good. They found themselves moving closer together and suddenly they were right back where they initially started only this time there was undeniable evidence of their relationship between them.

It didn't take them long to make it to the bedroom. But there was something different about this time. It was softer, more gentle, yet still very intense. Maybe it was because she was pregnant, maybe it was because something had changed between them. Either way it didn't keep them from exploring each other for a second time that night.

tbc...


	4. Chapter 4

Boys Don't Cry

Chapter: 4

Rating: R

The next morning the streaming sunlight awoke them both. Mary laid with her head on his chest, listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart. He gently stroked her hair. "You're quiet." he observed. "Are you okay?"

She looked up at him through thick eyelashes. "I'm fine." she assured him. "How long are you going to stay in New York?"

"My flight leaves Sunday evening." he told her. "When do you plan on leaving?"

"Leaving?" she questioned. "I wasn't planning on leaving."

"You mean you're not coming back to Minneapolis?"

"I hadn't really thought about it, but no I guess not." she replied. "I'm happy here, I have a great job through CBS and tons of room for advancement."

"But what about us?"

"What do you mean?" Mary sat up in bed, taking the sheet with her. "You don't mean to tell me that you want me to come back with you and get married."

"You mean you don't want to get married?"

"No." she replied. "Why would you think I would?"

Lou sat up. "I just thought that you would want to do this together." he clarified. "I thought we would be a family."

Mary shook her head. "I can't just go back to Minneapolis with you and we instantly become a family." she argued. "We have nothing to build a relationship on."

"We have the baby."

"I think that's a lot of responsibility to put on a child." she slid back a little, putting some distance between them. "I'm sorry, Lou, I can't come back home with you."

"You mean you won't." he said. "We don't have to get married."

"I want to stay here in New York." she told him. "And I don't expect you to give up everything in Minneapolis and come here."

"Then how is this going to possibly work?"

"You can come see the baby whenever you want."

Lou just shook his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So that's it?" he asked. "You're not even going to give us a chance?"

"You and I have never had that kind of relationship." she said. "I really think it would be best if you just went back home."

He got up out of bed. "Are you asking me to give the baby up?"

"No of course not." she replied. "I'm just asking you not to force me into a life that I don't want."

Lou started getting dressed. "You mean a life with me?"

"No that's not what I meant and you know it." she said. "I can't come back with you just to make you happy, Lou. I can't compromise my happiness to feed your conscience."

"This has nothing to do with my conscience." he started buttoning up his shirt. "I just thought that as a fair and compassionate human being you would want your child's father to be in his or her life."

"I do want you in their life." she got up off the bed and picked up her robe off the chair. "I just don't want to have to pretend to be something that I'm not. I don't want us to pretend to be something that we're not. We'll both just end up miserable."

Lou sat down on the edge of the bed and put on his shoes. "I kinda got the feeling that we were heading for something a little more than just a physical relationship." he told her. "I thought that we were starting over, I guess I was wrong."

"You don't want to be with me, Lou." she said, sitting down beside him. "If you did then we would have been serious about our involvement from the beginning. It would have been more than just sex. It never evolved into anything more. And the only reason you feel differently now is because I'm pregnant and the old fashioned Lou Grant wants to do the right and descent thing."

He couldn't deny it. A part of him did want to do the right thing. He was raised in a generation where if you got a girl in trouble you married her. But there was a part of him that really thought that if they started over they might be able to make something work. "Fine. I'm not about to argue with you." he was defeated. He got up off the bed. "I've gotta get down to the airport and see if I can change my flight. I want out of this city as soon as possible."

She looked up at him, her eyes almost pleading with him. "Don't leave like this, Lou."

"How do you want me to leave it?' he asked, heading for the door. "I'm going to be in Minneapolis and you're going to be here with my son or daughter. How did you think I was going to feel?"

"I'm sorry." she apologized. "I really am. I didn't want things between us to end up like this. I was really hoping that we could work something out."

He placed his hand on the door knob and turned it. "No." he disagreed. "You were hoping that I would see things your way. That's the real reason you didn't tell me you were pregnant."

"I was wrong for not telling you and I'm sorry." she was struggling to fight the tears back. "I don't want to fight with you. I just want things to go back to the way they were."

Lou turned around and looked at her. "Dammit, Mary! I can't do that." he said. "I can't forget about everything and just walk out of here. Too much has happened. I can't go home and pretend like everything is the same as it was a year ago."

"I'm not asking you to."

He turned back around and opened the door. "You know that I love you, right?" he said with his back to her. "I mean I know I've never said it to you, but I do love you."

Mary didn't know what to say. There was nothing she could say. "Goodbye, Lou." she wiped the fallen tears from her face. His slamming of the door actually made her jump and she dissolved into tears on the bed. Nothing had gone as planned and now things were actually worse than before.

There was a soft knock on her open bedroom door. "Mary?" Rhoda called out. "Mind if I come in?" Mary didn't answer she just reached out for her. Rhoda pulled her into her arms and gently stroked her hair. "It's okay." she soothed her. "Everything's going to be okay."

"How?" she choked out.

"I don't know." she replied, honestly. "But everything will work out for the best, I promise."

Mary cried for a little while longer, until she felt like she didn't have any tears left. She pushed herself up into a sitting position. "I can't be someone I'm not."

Rhoda reached over and wiped away her tears. "You don't have to be." she assured her. "You're a strong, resilient, independent woman."

"I don't think I am."

"Of course you are." she said. "Otherwise you would be back on a plane to Minneapolis jumping into marriage and housewife duties. You stood up for what you wanted, what you needed, and that took a lot of guts. I know that going back with Lou would have been the easy thing to do, hell it would have even been the moral thing to do, but you stood your ground."

"Then why do I feel so lousy?"

"Because you love him." she replied. "I don't think you realized how much until he showed up here."

"I do love him." she said. "And he told me that he loves me."

"You can't always build things on love." Rhoda said. "If you want to be with Lou, if you really want to be with him, then you'll build your relationship slowly. Rushing into something just because you're pregnant would be a disaster."

"I know." she agreed. "And I tried to get Lou to understand that, but he wouldn't."

Rhoda shrugged. "He's a man, he's a little slow at these thing." she said. "Just relax and concentrate on the baby. If it's meant to be it'll be."

"I don't know, Rhoda." she sighed. "I've never seen him so upset."

"What happened last night?" she asked, looking back at the disheveled bed. "I mean at some point the two of you were okay."

"He showed up right after you left." she told her. "He was angry at first that I didn't tell him, but then he was kind and caring and loving. He said and did all the right things and it just sort of happened."

"So it was just sex?"

"No." she replied. "It was different this time, like something had changed between us. It was like we were actually making love instead of just having meaningless sex."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"No, of course not." she replied. "I just wasn't expecting it, that's all. The sex between us has always been great, but it was just sex and nothing more. And now I don't know. I think I need some time to think it over." she said. "I need to sort out my feelings. I never thought that he would actually feel this way for me and it's kind of thrown me."

tbc...


	5. Chapter 5

Boys Don't Cry

Chapter: 5

Rating: R

~New York~

After Lou stormed out, not unfoundedly, it took Mary a while to emotionally calm herself down. She took a nice, long, hot bath and then she and Rhoda decided to get out of the house and do some shopping. Mary bought some much needed maternity clothes and some flat heeled shoes. Rhoda was busy shopping for her perfect dress which took them countless stores to find. They sat down for a late lunch at a small café.

"Who did you buy the dress for?" Mary asked. "Phillip?"

Rhoda just shook her head. "I bought it for myself." she said. "It was practically screaming my name."

"It certainly is an interesting color." it was somewhere between orange and yellow. Something only Rhoda could pull off. "I thought maybe Phillip was going to take you out dancing again."

"Uh, I don't know, Mare, he wasn't really my type." she said. "I mean we had a good time, but I don't really think it's going to go anywhere."

"Who says it has to go anywhere?"

"I just want something a little more serious, you know?"

"You don't think things could turn serious?"

"No." she "He's very into himself."

"I dated one of those guys." she said. "His name was Paul, he was a ski instructor."

"Yeah?" she asked. "What happened?"

"We had a really good time together." Mary told her. "But that's about it, he was really into his skiing and it was difficult to make conversation about anything else."

"How long did you see him?"

"A couple months."

Rhoda arched an eyebrow. "Why did you keep seeing him then?"

"You really need me to tell you?"

She smiled. "No." she replied. "I think I know where you're going with it."

"He was a romantic though." she told her. "Is Phillip the romantic type?"

"Not at all." she took a drink of her water. "He's kinda dumb actually. I don't know if I could put myself through another date with him."

"There's this new guy, Marc, at the station. He's smart and witty and handsome." Mary told her. "Why don't you let me set you up with him?"

"If he's so great then why don't you date him?"

"I think that's rather obvious."

"Uh, I don't know, Mare." she said. "How handsome are we talking here?"

"Very."

Rhoda thought about it for a few moments. "I think you've convinced me."

"Good." she smiled. "I think you're really going to like him. Maybe you can wear your new dress."

"It's more of a fifth date kinda dress." she said. "Even I have standards."

"I never said that you didn't."

"No, that was Phyllis." she sighed. "Did you tell her you're pregnant? Because I bet she has a boatload of unsolicited advice for you."

"No, I haven't." she said. "I thought it would be funny to just show up heavily pregnant and surprise her."

Rhoda laughed. "I better go with you." she said. "Someone should be there to revive her." she wanted to shift the subject over to what happened earlier since things had calmed down. And now seemed as good a time as any. "Have you decided what to do?"

"About Lou?' she asked. "I thought I would give him a call sometime tomorrow. Maybe things would be better if we were able to talk over the phone calmly and collectively."

"Just give it time." she said. "There's absolutely no reason to rush through things. Eventually everything will fall right into place."

"I sure hope so, Rhoda." she said. "Because I want my child to have a father."

~Minneapolis~

Lou made his way into the bar. It was a fancier place than he usually frequented, but then again he was celebrating. Not only was he going to be a father again but the child's mother had just ripped out his heart and stomped all over it. And that was truly cause for celebration. For the first time in a very long time Lou Grant was defeated.

He sat down at the bar and ordered a double, no ice, it only took up space in the glass. He sipped it to the sound of piano music. He had gone through three before he realized it. When the music stopped he order yet another drink. A blonde lady came over from the piano and sat down beside him.

"I thought that was you." Charlene said. "I was a little surprised that you didn't come over and make a request."

Lou kind of half smiled. "I love whatever you play."

She smiled back at him. "I haven't seen you around in a while." she said. "Well at least since I got back. Where have you been hiding?"

"At the station, mostly." he said, taking a drink. "I usually drink at the bar there but tonight I thought I would come here and celebrate."

"Celebrate?" she asked. "You shouldn't celebrate alone, Lou."

"Would you care to join me?" he asked. "We'll celebrate together."

"Sure." she sensed that something was bothering him. And she knew that he wanted to talk about it. She ordered a drink. "So what is it that we're celebrating tonight?"

Lou looked down into his drink. "I just found out I'm going to be a father. Again." he said. "Isn't that fantastic news?"

"Wow." she said. "A baby, huh?"

"Yeah." he looked over at her. "In June."

"Congratulations, Lou."

"Thanks." he said, taking a drink. "It wasn't planned or anything it just sort of happened, you know?"

"I think that's common with pregnancy." she said. "If you don't mind my asking, who's the lucky girl?"

"Mary."

Charlene was a little taken aback. "Mary." she repeated. "Mary Richards?"

He nodded. "Yes." he replied. "We were kind of dating and then things fell apart and she left town. I actually just got back from seeing her in New York."

"Mary moved to New York?"

"Yeah." he replied. "She moved in with her friend Rhoda. I didn't even know that she was pregnant until I got there."

"She didn't tell you about the baby?"

"No." he took a drink of scotch. "She said that she was going to but she was just too hurt, I guess it didn't matter to her how I felt. I guess I'm allowed to be stomped all over because I'm a man and I can take it."

"I gotta say Lou that doesn't sound like Mary at all."

"New York has changed her." he said. "I mean she was always independent before but now she's ready to conquer the world. She even works for CBS."

"Maybe she's hurting too." Charlene suggested. "Pregnancy is a fairly big adjustment. Especially for a single woman."

"I tried my best into talking her into coming back with me." he said. "I offered to marry her, I told her I wanted to do the right thing. I want to be involved with the baby."

"I think that's where you made your mistake." she said. "You automatically put pressures on her to conform her into what society says she has to be. You don't offer to marry someone, your propose the idea to them. Mary didn't want to hear that you wanted to do what was right, she wanted you to speak from your heart."

He thought about it for a few seconds. "I guess you're right." he said. "But I just found out about the baby and then I felt like she was rejecting me, like she didn't want anything to do with me. It was a lot to take all at once."

"Maybe the two of you just need to let things calm down." Charlene took a drink of her martini. "Mary's a smart, levelheaded, intelligent girl. I'm sure once she sorts her emotions out that everything will be fine."

"Uh, I don't know about that." he said. "I kinda walked out on her. I don't think she's going to want anything to do with me for a very long time."

"Why don't you start by calling her and apologizing?"

"She'll just hang up."

"At least she'll know that you're trying." she said. "Send her flowers or chocolates. There are lots of things that you can do to show her you care. Even if you are miles apart."

Lou smiled, a bit of confidence coming back. "Yeah, I guess I could do that."

"Women like romance." she said. "Even pregnant ones." she took a sip of her drink. "How did this whole thing with Mary start anyway?"

"Well it started one night after drinks." he told her. "It was a casual sort of thing at first and then we started dating, but still saw other people at the same time."

Charlene nodded. "So you weren't in a serious relationship at all."

"No." he breathed out. "We didn't think we could carry on a relationship like that."

"But now that she's pregnant you suddenly do?" she asked. "What's changed so much between then and now to want to marry her?"

"Did you miss the part where I said I got her pregnant?"

Charlene laughed a little. "No." she replied. "But do you understand what I'm saying? A pregnancy is no reason to marry, Lou. If you want to build a relationship you have to do it before you get married, not after."

He took another drink. "I guess you're right."

"I know I am." she said. "Do you love her?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Are you in love with her?"

Lou shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well I think that's something you should try and find out before you go around handing out marriage offers." she told him. "Everything will work out, Lou, just give it some time."

"I hope so."

"Come on." she said, getting up. "Come over to the piano and make a few requests. I'll play whatever you want to hear."

Lou picked up his scotch and followed her over to the piano. "What are you doing after your done here?"

"I didn't have anything planned." she said. "I'll be done at ten o'clock."

"Good." he said. "We'll have a late dinner."

tbc...


	6. Chapter 6

Boys Don't Cry

Chapter: 6

Rating: R

~Sunday Morning~

The previous day's shopping trip had worn her out. She went to bed at eight o'clock and didn't wake up until after nine. She had never been more exhausted in her life. It was a successful trip, though. Not only did she get the maternity clothes she needed but it helped to take her mind off of Lou and everything that happened between them.

After a good night's sleep she decided to call him. She quickly dialed Lou's number from memory and waited for an answer. And when the phone was picked up a woman's voice came across the line. "Hello?"

For a moment Mary couldn't even breathe. She knew that voice. "Charlene?" she said. "It's Mary."

"Hi, Mary." she said. "How are you?"

"Uh, I...I'm well." she finally got out. "How are you?"

"Just great." she said. "I just got back from San Francisco. You probably want to talk to Lou, don't you? He's in the shower, but I think he's almost done. I can go check if you like."

"Oh, no, that's alright." Mary said. "Could you just tell him I called?"

"Sure."

"Thanks." she said. "Bye."

Mary hung up the phone. Of all the things she expected when she dialed his number Charlene answering sure as hell wasn't one of them. He sure moved on fast. The night before last he was with her and now he was with Charlene. Apparently his declaration of love didn't mean much. She was pregnant with his child and he was carrying on with an ex-show girl.

Rhoda came out into the livingroom to find Mary near tears. "Hiya, kid." she said. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I just called Lou."

She sat down beside her on the sofa. "Yeah?" she asked. "How did it go?"

"Uh, not so great Rhoda." she replied. "He didn't answer the phone, Charlene did."

"Charlene?" she repeated. "Who's Charlene?"

"She's a woman that Lou use to date." Mary told her. "She said that he was in the shower so I just left a message for him to call me back."

"Okay." she nodded. "Am I missing something? I mean why are you so upset?"

"Because it's nine o'clock in the morning and she was answering his phone." she explained. "Which means that she obviously spent the night there."

Rhoda shrugged. "So."

"So?" Mary breathed out. "Yesterday morning he was telling me that he wanted to be a family which obviously didn't mean anything. If it had he wouldn't have slept with Charlene."

Over the past six weeks or so Rhoda had been supportive. It was her job as Mary's friend to make her feel as comfortable and as supported as she possible could. That's what friends did. She held her as she cried and wiped away her tears, and soothed her fears as her pregnancy progressed. And now she was about to do her friend another huge favor even though it may initially hurt her. What Mary needed was a good dose of tough love.

Rhoda reached over and took Mary's hand. "Friends tell the truth, right?" she asked. "Even when you don't want to hear it? Even when it may hurt?"

"Yes."

"Okay." she breathed out. "I want to talk to you about Lou."

Mary nodded. "Okay."

"When you came here and told me that you were pregnant I admit I was shocked." she started. "But what shocked me even more was the fact that you were refusing to tell Lou. He's the father of your baby, he deserved to know the moment you found out. You kept the secret from him for three months and if he wouldn't have shown up here who knows when you would have told him."

"I had my reasons."

"And none of them could possibly be good enough to keep a man from his child." she said. "A man you know is a good father and who would want to be in the baby's life. A man that you respect and look up to, a man that was once your friend."

"So much has changed between the two of us."

"I know that." she said. "Things ended very badly between the two of you. And you have every right to be angry and upset but things have gone too far. Lou came here to see you and apparently the two of you momentarily worked through some of your issues. But instead of really talking things out you jumped into bed with him. And then when he tried to talk with you yesterday morning they only thing you did was push him away."

"I cannot be a suburban housewife, Rhoda."

"I don't think Lou was asking you to be one." she said. "Yesterday you told me that you wanted to work things out with Lou because you wanted the baby to have a father. And I caught a glimpse of Mary Richards that I haven't seen since I left Minneapolis. The entire time he was trying to work something out with you yesterday you shut him down."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Mary this isn't easy for me." she told her. "I'm going to tell you though because I think that you need to hear it. You've been nothing but incredibly selfish and unfair. I know that you're the one carrying this baby, but it's not just yours, it's Lou's too. How do you think the baby's going to feel when he grows up and learns that you're the reason his father wasn't in his life?"

"I never said that I didn't want Lou in the baby's life." Mary said. "I just don't want to have to give everything up that I've worked so hard for."

"It's not just about you anymore, Mary." she said. "And it's not just about Lou, it's about this little life that the two of you have created. You need to rethink things here, Mare and work things out with him And yes I know that you called and Charlene answered the phone and that's nobody's fault but yours."

"Mine?" she asked. "I'm not the one going around sleeping with old flames after I just proclaimed by love for someone else. He was here yesterday telling me that he loved me and that he wanted us to be together and now he's sleeping with her."

"You told him you didn't want to be with him." she said. "Did you expect him to live the rest of his life pining over you and living like a monk?"

"No, of course not."

"You need to decide exactly what it is that you want." Rhoda told her. "If you love Lou then you need to admit it to yourself and to him. If you want to be with him then you need to be completely open and honest starting now. If you don't want to be with him then you need to let go of this jealousy and move on. But either way you need to work something out for the baby's sake."

Mary nodded in agreement. Even though most of what Rhoda said was hard to hear she was absolutely right. She needed to be honest with Lou about what she wanted and she needed to do it now. She was being unfair to Lou and their baby. And she was only going to hurt herself even more than she already had in the end.

About an hour later the phone rang and Mary hesitantly picked it up. "Hello?"

"It's me." Lou said. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah everything's fine." she replied. "I didn't mean to worry you, I just wanted to talk."

"Okay." he breathed out. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Actually I was calling to apologize." she said. "I've been a complete bitch and I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say, I just hope that we can move past this. I hope you can forgive me."

"Why did you push me away, Mary?"

"Because I was scared." she admitted. "I was afraid that you only wanted to be with me because I'm pregnant and not because you love me."

"I told you I loved you." he said. "And the only thing you said was goodbye."

"I know." she replied. "I wanted to say it back, I really did."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because this entire time we've been so busy telling each other that we couldn't have a serious relationship." she explained. "We were convinced that nothing but disaster would occur and that's exactly what happened."

"I really wish you would have told me."

Mary was starting to cry. "So do I." she said. "I've wanted to tell you how I've felt since last fall."

"Last fall?"

"Yes." she replied, wiping her eyes. "It was the Sunday afternoon when you took me to the batting cage and you were teaching me how to hit. We were having such a great time and I realized that I would be happy spending the rest of my life with you. It didn't matter what we were doing as long as we were together. I love you, Lou, very much and I don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose you either." he said. "I want to work things out with you and I know it's going to be a slow process but if you're willing to try so am I."

"Where do we start?"

"I think right here is fine." he told her. "One conversation at a time. I think first and foremost we need to rebuild our friendship and our trust."

"Okay." she agreed. "Are you willing to do this long distance? At least temporarily? I think I may be able to get transferred back to Minneapolis but it may take a few months."

"I think we can work something out."

tbc...


	7. Chapter 7

Boys Don't Cry

Chapter: 7

Rating: R

Over the past two months Mary and Lou did their very best to reestablish the friendship between them. He occasionally sent her flowers and sometimes the pastries she always craved from the bakery a few blocks from her apartment. Mary called him after her doctors appointments and kept him up to date as her pregnancy progressed. Things seemed to be going very well between them. They had definitely turned a corner.

Mary's flight had just landed in Minneapolis and the first place she intended to go was WJM. She was taking a long weekend so she could help her mother put together her father's birthday party. He was turning sixty-five and Dottie wanted to throw him a huge party to celebrate. Mary hadn't told Lou of her plans in hopes to surprise him.

The elevator ride up to the newsroom seemed to take forever. Or perhaps it was just the anticipation of it all. After all she hadn't seen them, with the exception of Lou, in six months. And a lot had certainly changed. She pushed open the newsroom door and stepped inside. Ted was pouring a cup of coffee and Sue Ann and Murray were insulting each other over the typewriter.

"Well, I'm glad to see nothing's changed." Mary said, smiling.

"Hey, Mare." Ted sat his coffee cup down and immediately went over to her. "Boy has it been a long time." he leaned in to hug her, but found an obstacle between them. He pulled back a bit and looked down. "Hey, look at that! You're knocked up, congratulations!"

"Thanks, Ted." she said. "You always put things so eloquently."

The infamous Ted Baxter on air voice washed over him. "Well it is my job."

She slipped off her coat and hung it up on the coatrack, revealing her very obvious six months pregnant abdomen. Murray came over to her and hugged her. "Congratulations, Mary." he said, pulling back. "How have you been?"

"Just great." she smiled. "How are Marie and the kids?"

"They're fine." he was dying to know more but didn't want to pry. That's what Sue Ann was for. "What are you doing back in Minneapolis?"

"It's my dad's birthday."

Sue Ann smiled. "And is this your present for him, dear?"

"Very funny." she said. "And no, I got him a watch."

"Well, I don't see a ring, dear." she said.. "But don't worry just because you're pregnant and unwed doesn't mean people will think you're a tramp."

"Oh, Sue Ann, I've missed your sense of humor."

"Of course you have." she smiled. "So who's the lucky guy? Anyone we know?"

"You know I'm a little surprised that you didn't know I was pregnant." she said. "I thought that maybe Lou would have told you."

Murray shook his head. "No." he replied. "He never mentioned anything to us."

Ted picked off his coffee cup and walked back over to Mary. "So who's the lucky guy?" he asked. "One of those higher ups at CBS?"

"No, Ted."

Lou opened his office door and came out. "What's all the ruckus out here?" he looked over and saw Mary and immediately his demeanor changed. His mood became lighter and happier. He was smiling from ear to ear. "What are you doing here?"

She made her way over to him. "I thought it would be a nice surprise."

He reached out for her, drawing her toward him."A very nice surprise." he leaned in and kissed her softly, letting his lips linger on hers before pulling back. His hand moved down over her abdomen. "How did the baby enjoy her first airplane ride?"

"Well he either loved it or he hated it." she replied. "He kept flipping and kicking the entire time. I don't know if it was out of frustration or excitement."

From the moment their eyes met it was like they were the only two people in the room, the only two people in the entire world. Everyone else just seemed to melt away. "You look incredible." he said. "You're glowing."

"I could stand here all day and let you compliment me like that."

"I'm not doing anything else." he said. "How long are you going to be in town?"

"My flight leaves Tuesday morning."

"Where are you staying?"

"With my parents." she replied. "I came in for dad's birthday party."

"You could always stay with me."

Mary smiled. "We'll see."

Ted was about to lose his mind. The suspense of it all was driving him absolutely mad. And everyone else around him even though they would never admit it out loud. "Hey, guys!" he said, walking over to them. "Do you all think you could share with us what's going on here?"

Lou found his way back to reality. "Oh, yeah, yeah, Ted." he turned around to face Murray and Sue Ann. "Mary's in town for her dad's birthday."

"She told us." Sue Ann replied. "We want to know more about her delicate condition."

Murray looked over at her. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked. "Mary and Lou are going to have a baby. But what I don't understand is why you didn't tell us."

Lou looked at Mary and then over at the three of them. "Well, I just thought that it was something you should hear from the both of us." he said. "And I really thought it was Mary's place to tell you."

Sue Ann looked over at Mary. "Well, dear, there's no better way to trap a man than by pregnancy." she smiled. "Congratulations."

Lou shook his head. "Nobody was trapped, Sue Ann."

"Sure." she was sugary sweet. "If that's what you choose to believe."

Ted came over and inserted himself between Mary and Lou.. "Well I think it's fantastic." he smiled. "Two of our friends are going to have a baby." he patted her stomach. "Do I hear wedding bells?"

"Please don't do that, Ted." Mary said. "And no you don't hear wedding bells."

"You mean you're going to stay in New York?"

"I don't know." she replied. "Lou and I have a lot to work out."

"Hmm." he sighed, looking over at Lou. "Seems like you should have thought about that before you got her pregnant, Lou."

"Ted." it came out as a warning. "Go to your dressing room."

He let go of both of them and headed for the door. "Congratulations anyway."

Lou took Mary by the hand. "If you'll excuse us." he said to Murray and Sue Ann. "We have a little catching up to do." he led them into his office and shut the door. "How about a proper hello?"

Mary was immediately in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You didn't like my first hello?"

"It wasn't that I didn't like it." he said. "It's just that I think we can do better. After all it's been over two months since we've seen each other."

"I think you could be on to something..."

He drew her into a kiss. A long, deep, slow kiss that seemed to go on for an eternity. He pulled her as close to him as their baby allowed. "Much better." he said, pulling back. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." her open mouth met his again. Engaging him in a series of breathtaking kisses that left them both wanting more. Finally for the sake of her sanity she pulled back. "Did you have plans for lunch?"

"No." he replied. "What did you have in mind?"

She placed a single kiss on his lips. "Lunch." she said. "Why, did you have something else in mind?"

"Well after that kiss..."

Mary smiled. "I thought we were going to take things nice and slow?"

"We can take things as slow as you would like." he promised.

"That's a very tempting offer." she said. "And I may take you up on that later."

"You may?"

Her lips covered his again. "My hormones are in overdrive." she said. "But I really want us to talk first. I want to make sure that things feel right."

"Okay." he agreed. "How about I take you out to lunch and then I'll drive you to your parents house? Tonight the four of us can go out for dinner, my treat."

"I'd like that." she said. "I really want this to work out."

"So do I." he replied. "I think if we just relax things are going to be fine."

Mary reached for his hand and pressed it to the left side of her stomach. "I think our son thinks so too." the baby kicked under Lou's hand. "I think maybe he's going to be a football player like his dad."

He smiled. "Why are you so convinced it's a boy?"

"I don't know." she replied. "I just know it's a boy."

"It could be a girl." he gently caressed her stomach. "Wouldn't you like to have a little girl?"

"Yes." she replied. "But this baby is a boy."

tbc...


	8. Chapter 8

Boys Don't Cry

Chapter:8

Pairing: Mary/Lou

Rating: R

They had a rather leisurely lunch at the café across from Lou's apartment. But it was actually Mary that suggested it, they served the best Reuben sandwiches and she had been craving one since the plane landed. Lou had decided to let her make the first step to whatever it was that she wanted to happen. She seemed happy and at ease and he didn't want anything to spoil that. But it was Lou that suggested that they go back to his apartment so she could rest.

Mary laid down on the sofa. She was tired from flying and in desperate need of a nap. Lou came out of the bedroom and sat down on the coffee table in front of her. "Are you sure I can't get you anything?"

"I'm sure."

"You're sure you don't want to lay down in the bedroom?" he asked. "I think you would be more comfortable in bed."

"That means I would have to get up."

"I'll carry you."

Mary smiled. "I'm a little heavier these days." she said. "But the sofa is fine, really it is."

Lou leaned over and gently rubbed his hand across her stomach. "I just want the two of you to be comfortable."

"We are." she assured him. "Don't let me keep you though, I know you have to get back to the station."

"I'm not really in any rush." he said. "I'd much rather be here with you."

"I am going to be here for the next five days." she reminded him. "I'm sure that you'll be sick of me by the time I leave."

Lou shook his head. "Never."

"Where do you want to go tonight for dinner?"

"Where ever you want to go." he said. "You pick the place."

"With my cravings we may end up at the pizza parlor."

"Well that's fine with me but I don't know how much your parents would like it." he said. "You might want to try and curb your cravings until afterwards."

"Only if you take me to get ice cream."

"I think I can handle that." he said. "Does that mean you're going to stay here with me instead of your parents?"

"I don't know, Lou." she exhaled. "I'm not sure if that's such a good idea. Everything's going so well."

"You can take the bedroom and I'll sleep here on the couch."

Mary smiled, he was being so sweet and caring. "We'll see how the evening goes."

"I'm not trying to pressure you into anything." he said. "It's just that I haven't seen you in months and I don't want to let you out of my sight."

"I promise I won't run away this time."

"I'm going to hold you to that."

After Lou left Mary drifted off into a much needed sleep. She never particularly cared for flying, but doing it while pregnant was even worse. She couldn't ever remember been sleepier in her entire life.

_Mary was a little lightheaded. Skipping breakfast seemed to have that effect. It wasn't the best Monday morning she had ever experienced. And little did she knew that it was about to get a hell of a lot worse. Lou came out of his office and asked her to come inside. He closed the door behind him._

"_Where were you last night?" he asked, sitting down on the edge of his desk. _

"_I had a date." she replied. "Actually it was more of an old friend."_

"_An old friend?" he repeated. "An old friend that you just happened to sleep with?"_

_Confusion washed over her. "I dated Matt a few years back."_

"_And now you're seeing him again?"_

_She didn't like his tone. "What's this about, Lou?"_

"_I saw the two of you together." he said. "You were all over each other and in the middle of the sidewalk."_

"_No, we weren't." she defended herself. "We kissed, but we weren't all over each other."_

"_I know what I saw, Mary."_

_She got up out of the chair. "I don't think I like your attitude."_

"_Well I really don't care." he replied. "I didn't like seeing the two of you together."_

"_We're allowed to see other people." she said. "That was our agreement in this stupid little arrangement."_

"_Stupid?"_

"_Yes, stupid." she replied. "The arrangement that lets you go and do and see whomever you please but still crawl back into my bed at night."_

"_That's unfair, Mary."_

"_Is it?" she asked. "Because I think it's completely true."_

"_And what about you?" he asked. "Aren't you doing the exact same thing? How many men have you been out with these past few months? How many of them have you gone home with? I'm sure Matt Bryan wasn't the first."_

"_How dare you." she breathed out. "My actions are absolutely none of your concern. And for the record I was in my apartment last night."_

"_With Matt, I'm sure."_

"_I'm not going to stand here and do this with you." she said. "It's nothing more than a waste of time."_

"_I don't want you seeing him."_

"_Well that's not going to happen." she replied. "Besides how is he different from any other man I've gone out with?"_

"_He just is." he couldn't tell her that Matt was the kind of man she could marry. The kind of man that could take her away from him. "I don't care who else you date, you just can't see him."_

_Mary just shook her head in disbelief. "You know what? I don't want to do this anymore." she told him. "I just want to forget about our entire relationship."_

"_It's forgotten."_

"_I mean it, Lou." she said. "I don't want you showing up at my apartment at one o'clock in the morning anymore, I don't want you pulling me into the editing room and locking the door, I don't want to do this with you anymore. I just want you to leave me alone."_

"_If that's the way you want it." he replied. "Then that's exactly what you'll get. You and Matt can go off and live happily ever after."_

"_You're being a complete ass."_

"_Well that may be." he agreed. "But at least I've always been open and honest about who else I've been screwing around with."_

"_I can't even be around you when you're like this."_

_Lou exhaled, heavily. "Then leave."_

"_Fine!" she agreed. "I quit!"_

Mary turned over on her side and fell back into a more comfortable sleep. It was odd how a few simple little words could change your entire life.

"_Congratulations, Ms. Richards." Doctor Keats smiled. "You're pregnant."_

_It was a damn good thing she was sitting. "Pregnant?"_

"_Yes." the smile seemed to be plastered onto her face. "You're about six weeks along."_

"_Pregnant!" _

"_I take it this was a surprise."_

"_Hmm." she sighed. "Pregnant."_

And then there was the fear of disappointing your parents even though you were a grown woman.

"_Mom, dad, I'm pregnant." _

_There was complete silence for several long moments. "Pregnant?" Dottie finally asked. "Who's the father?"_

"_I don't want to talk about it."_

_Walter looked at his daughter. "Mary." it was almost as if he were scolding her. "Who's the baby's father? Is he going to take responsibility?"_

"_I'm not...I'm not going to tell him." she said to them. "I don't want him to know."_

_Dottie shook her head. "You need to tell him so he can make things right."_

"_No, mom." she said, firmly. "I don't need him to make things right. I don't want him in my life at all. I just want to forget about him."_

"_Who is he, Mary?" Walter asked again. "This is so unlike you."_

_It was unlike her. This entire thing was unlike her. "Lou." she finally gave in. "Lou Grant."_

_Dottie was stunned. "Your boss?"_

"_Yes." Mary answered. "We were sort of seeing each other for a while. It's over now though."_

It didn't start off so bad. In fact she was the one who initiated the whole thing. After a few drinks it seemed like a good thing to do.

_They didn't make it to the sofa bed, the barely made it into the livingroom. She still wasn't entirely sure when the blanket on the floor came into play. But she was thankful because anything was better than the rug beneath it. The remainder of their clothes were quickly being shed and their mouths were entangling like their kisses were air._

_He undid her bra and pulled it off of her, followed by her panties. He couldn't ever remember wanting anyone more in his entire life. He looked down at her. "Um, condom?" they were almost to the point where it wasn't going to matter._

"_I'm on the pill."_

_Excellent response on her part. "Thank God!" he breathed out._

_The next several minutes were like a whirlwind. They were in a battle for control, neither one of them willing to give in to the other. They moved together deliberately, almost forcefully, their mouths hungrily colliding whenever possible. There was this underlying raw passion that overcame them so fully that it was almost frightening._

_She collapsed against him from absolute exhaustion. He immediately wrapped his arms around her. And for the longest time that's how they stayed, catching their breath, regaining what was left of the composure. He pressed a gentle kiss to her swollen lips. "Well?" he asked. "Was that what you had in mind?"_

"_Exactly." she pulled back to look at him. "Thank you."_

"_Anytime."_

Then something changed, something they didn't expect. Jealousy began to rear its ugly head. Even though neither one of them said anything it was undeniable.

_The sex had been extremely intense for some reason. It was very push-pull almost like they were fighting through it. They changed positions several times until finally they found one that almost seemed to work. Their struggle continued a little while longer until they were both able to reach what they had been searching for. _

_Mary's hands pushed at his shoulders. "Get off me." she was almost breathless. _

_He collapsed onto the bed beside her. The only thing he wanted to do was sleep. He had never been so exhausted in his entire life, she had given him one hell of a work out. But he could be convinced to stay up for a good reason. "You wanna go again?"_

_She pushed herself up into a sitting position. "No." she panted. "I'm tired."_

_His hands were immediately on her. "Don't go."_

_She looked back at him, barely able to see him in the darkened room. "It's late, I should get home."_

"_What's wrong, you didn't enjoy it?" he asked. Pleasing her was usually relatively easy, but tonight he struggled and he was unsure why. Perhaps she was seeing someone else. "Because you sounded like you enjoyed it."_

"_No, it's not that." she replied. "We just seemed to be a little out of sync." she wondered if he had been with someone else but she would never ask._

"_Well we can fix that." his assured her. "Practice makes perfect."_

"_Maybe tomorrow."_

"_I don't want you to leave." he was being sincere. "We'll just go to sleep."_

_She hesitated. They didn't do this, they didn't stay the night at each others place. This was going to change everything. If she woke up beside him in the morning things were going to be different rather she wanted them to be or not. "Okay."_

"_Okay?"_

"_I think I could be convinced to go another round." _

But there were better times. Lighter times. Times when they enjoyed each others company. Times were it was almost like they were an actual couple. And she would like to think it's when she got pregnant. One of those softer, happier times.

_Mary had never been one for baseball, hell she had never been one for sports. But Lou was determined to make a fan out of her. And the first step to becoming a fan was to understand the game. There was no better way to do that then by learning to play. He picked her up at her apartment on Saturday morning and took her over to the batting cage. He planned to teach her how to hit a few balls and then later they could go to a minor league game._

"_Here." he handed her the bat. "I want to check your form."_

_Mary arched an eyebrow and smiled. "I thought we were going to play ball."_

"_We are." he smiled back. "I'm going to start the machine and you just try and hit a few, okay?"_

"_Okay." she agreed. "It looks easy."_

_Lou started the machine and watched as Mary's bat connected with the first ball. "That's a little weak." he said. "You have to swing harder than that."_

"_I can't." she replied, hitting another ball. "Besides its not like its going anywhere."_

"_That's not the point." he said from behind the cage. "You still need to hit the ball with everything you've got. Just like you were going to hit a home run."_

_Mary swung the bat a little harder. "How's that?"_

"_Better." he replied. "Just imagine that the ball is Ted's head." he watched as she hit another ball. "That's perfect!"_

_The ball machine stopped and Mary lowered her bat. "So are we done?"_

"_Done?" Lou asked as he entered the batting cage."That was just the first round."_

"_How many rounds are there in baseball?"_

_He came up behind her. "Here, let me show you." he helped her get into position, leaning into her as he showed her how to swing the bat. "See, just like that."_

_She moved back a little, into him. "I don't know." she said. "I don't think I quite have the hang of it."_

_Lou wrapped his arms around hers, leaning in even closer. "Just like this." he whispered against her ear. "You want to make sure you follow through all the way."_

_She could definitely get use to the kind of attention he was showering her with. Perhaps they had something that went a little deeper after all. Maybe she really was in love with him. It was becoming more than just sex these days. "Mmm." she sighed. "I think I'm going to like baseball after all."_

_After the batting cage the minor league game seemed to be forgotten. They went back to his apartment and hit the showers. Because that's what all ballplayers did after a game. Maybe the others didn't shower together, but hell that was just a technicality. She was sitting atop the counter in his baseball jersey, watching him make slice through fruit. "I thought we were going to the game?"_

"_Well we were." he said. "But you and I ran into a little overtime."_

"_I tried to be as quick as I could." she replied. "You're the one that kept slowing me down."_

"_I'm not a fan of fast." he sliced the top off a strawberry."I like things to be thorough."_

"_Yes, I know." she smiled. "Very thorough."_

_He offered her a bite of the strawberry. "We could always catch the evening game." he said, eating the remainder. "Unless you had something else planned."_

"_No." she replied. "I had intended to spend the day with you."_

"_We might make it to the game." his hand lazily moved up and down her bare thigh. "Or maybe we'll we can go out for dinner tonight. You know we can get all dressed up and go somewhere nice."_

_Mary smiled. "I'd like that."_

"_Why don't you stay here tonight?"_

_All the other times she had said no. In the past four months staying over was something they had never done. Even we he showed up at her apartment late at night. Even when they were up until the early morning hours. Up until now it had been forbidden territory._

"_Come on." he coaxed, his hand sliding even further up her thigh. "I'll make it worth your while."_

"_I have no doubt." she said. "It's just that staying here seems a little...intimate."_

"_I don't think we could get anymore intimate."_

_Mary slid down off the counter so that they were face to face. "I'm afraid it's going to change things."_

"_Change isn't always a bad thing."_

"_I suppose not." she said. "I just thought that we both agreed that we didn't want a serious relationship."_

"_We did." he said. "I was thinking that we could just explore things a little. We can still see other people if you like."_

"_Okay." she agreed. "I think I can handle that."_

~A Few Hours Later~

Dottie and Mary were sitting at the kitchen table. It had been months since she actually saw her daughter and she wanted to spend some one on one time with her. Dottie poured herself a cup of tea. "Are you sure you don't want a cup, sweetheart?"

"I'm sure, mom." she replied. "Where's dad?"

"Golfing." she smiled. "He'll be back in a little while."

"Does he suspect anything?"

Dottie smiled. "Not a thing." she replied. "If we can make it through the next two days without him finding out then it will be the first time he's ever been surprised. Except when you told us you were pregnant."

It was like a cloud was hanging over them. Walter and Dottie had both been supportive throughout the entire thing, but her mother seemed to still be a bit old fashioned. Surprisingly it was something she expected from her father. "I'm sure he'll be surprised then."

"You are going to be staying here aren't you, darling?"

Mary hesitated. She wasn't quite sure. "I haven't really thought about it, mom."

"Are you and Lou working things out?" she asked. "I mean you did go straight to see him when you got here."

"Yes, I think we are." she was being as honest as possible. "We're taking it one step at a time."

"Why didn't you ever tell me you were seeing him?"

Mary shifted uncomfortably in the chair. "I didn't feel like I could." she replied. "And besides its not really the thing of thing you tell people."

"Were you dating him or just sleeping with him?"

This really wasn't the conversation she wanted to have with her mother. "We were actually dating when I got pregnant." she hoped that that would be enough for her.

"I see." she took a sip of tea. "You still could have told me."

"I really want things to work out with him, mom." she told her. "I was selfish before when I left. I should have told him as soon as I found out. If I could go back and change it all, I would."

Dottie smiled warmly at her daughter. "Sounds like love."

Mary nodded. "It is."

~Later That Evening~

The four of them had a nice dinner at a nice restaurant downtown. Everything went well, better than Mary had expected. She thought maybe her earlier talk with her mother had a little something to do with it. Her parents wanted her to be happy, that's all they had ever told her ever since she could remember. And she was happy. Lou made her happy.

After dinner she and Lou left together. He took her to get ice cream just like he had promised. The entire evening had gone so well and he didn't want it to end. He didn't want to have to drive her back to her parents house. But he didn't want to pressure her in any way. So he was a bit surprised when she told him she wanted to go home with him.

Mary was already in bed when Lou came out of the bathroom. He walked over to the bed and grabbed one of the pillows. "What are you doing?" she asked. "You're not going to sleep in here with me?"

"I didn't know you wanted me to." he put the pillow back down on the bed. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." she smiled. "What's the matter are you afraid of getting me pregnant?"

Lou laughed. "I think I've already covered that." he slid into bed beside her. "I was just so happy that you came back with me that it didn't really matter where I slept."

Mary rolled over onto her side to face him. "I'd much rather have you in here with me." she said. "I really don't like sleeping alone now that I'm pregnant."

"What do you do at home?"

"I make Rhoda sleep with me."

Lou smiled. "Now there's a true friend."

"Yeah, Rhoda's been great." she replied. "I don't know what I would do without her. I'll have to call her tomorrow. I promised her I would let her know how things were going."

"Are you anxious to get back home?"

"Not really I like being here with you." she said. "It's a nice break from everything."

"I don't want you to go, Mary."

"You don't?"

"No." he said. "I wish you would come home and stay. And I know what you're going to say, you've built a hell of a career in the past few months and you want to stay in New York. They have a lot more job opportunities there than we have here. You're strong and independent and you want to do this on your own."

It seemed as though he finally understood everything she had been saying for the past few months. And for the first time she didn't care about any of it. "Actually no I don't." she said, softly. "I don't care about New York or their job opportunities. I want to be here in Minneapolis."

"You mean that?"

"Of course." she replied. "I've only been here with you for a day and I already know that I don't want to leave you. I don't really want to leave Rhoda either, but I think my place is here with you."

"I think she'll understand."

"I think so too." she replied. "She's been seeing this guy Marc from my station and it's gotten pretty serious. I think he's going to ask her to marry him."

"Then she'll definitely understand."

Mary moved closer to him, laying her head on his chest. "I love you, Lou."

He dropped a kiss into her hair. "I love you, too, Mary."

tbc...


	9. Chapter 9

Boys Don't Cry

Chapter: 9

Rating: R

In the seventh month of her pregnancy Mary got transferred to Minneapolis just like she had wanted. The one thing she didn't count on though was how hard it was going to be to leave Rhoda behind in New York. They had been best friends for five years, but living together and experiencing Mary's pregnancy had really bonded them in a different way.

Mary had been working as producer of channel three news for about six weeks. It was a much quicker pace than he old job at WJM but slower than the one in New York. A nice even tempo for a woman coming to the end of her pregnancy. One of the things Mary didn't count on when transferring from New York was that Marc Lancaster, the man Rhoda was very serious about, would be transferred with her. They mainly served to remind each other of what they had left behind. Rhoda.

Upon moving back to Minneapolis Mary and Lou got married in a small, quiet ceremony and were now settling into their new home. Everything was moved in and unpacked but there were a few details left to be done. Mary being in the thirty eighth week of her pregnancy decided that they could wait. The only thing on her mind was completing the nursery and having a spotless house.

Mary was sleeping rather peacefully on the livingroom sofa when she heard a familiar voice. "Hey, sleeping beauty." Rhoda said. "You miss me?"

She slowly opened her eyes. "Rhoda?" she yawned. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to surprise you." she sat down on the edge of the sofa. "How ya feeling, kid?"

"Pretty good." she pushed herself up into a sitting position. "Fat, but good."

"I think you look beautiful." she said. "You're glowing and...huge!"

Mary laughed. "Thanks, Rhoda." she smiled. "You always know just what to say."

"I try." she smiled back. "So the doctor said it could be any day now, huh?"

"Yes." she replied. "The doctor also said it could be four more weeks."

"Maybe you and baby Grant here should compromise." she suggested. "Have him on his due date."

"I don't know I was kind of hoping that he would come now.' she said. "I'm sick of being pregnant. I've never been so uncomfortable in my entire life."

Rhoda patted Mary's very rounded stomach. "Well, I need you to hold him in a little while longer." she said. "At least until tomorrow evening."

"Tomorrow evening?" she questioned. "What's going on tomorrow?"

"Marc and I are getting married." she smiled. "And I'm counting on you to be my matron of honor."

"Married?" she repeated. "Oh, Rhoda, that's wonderful! Congratulations!"

"Thanks, kid.' she replied. "So does that mean you accept?"

"Accept?" she asked. "Of course I'll be your matron of honor. I'll just have to find something to wear that doesn't look like a tent."

"I'm sure we can find you something, I mean unless you think you can have him now and be up and going by tomorrow afternoon."

"I think I'll pass."

"So we have a deal then?" she joked. "You're going to keep him in there for another twenty four hours?"

"I'll see what I can do." Mary replied. "But you really should be making this deal with Hayden and not me."

"Hayden?" Rhoda repeated. "What happened to Liam?"

"I like Hayden better."

"Okay." she breathed out. "Hayden it is until you change your mind again." she put her hands on Mary's stomach. "Okay, Grant here's the deal, Aunt Rhoda is getting married tomorrow and I need your mommy there with me so if you could please wait to have your birthday I would really appreciate it." she leaned in closer to Mary's stomach. "What's that?" she pretended to listen and then looked up at Mary. "Kate wants to know why you've been calling her Hayden."

Mary laughed. "Very funny, Rhoda!" she smiled. "I thought we were in agreement the baby was a boy?"

"That's no guarantee." she replied. "I just don't think it ever crossed your mind that your baby could be a girl."

"I've just always pictured a boy." she said. "Not that I wouldn't love to have a little girl."

"Maybe next time."

"Next time?" she arched an eyebrow. "I haven't even made it through this one yet."

"I think you should have them closer together." Rhoda suggested. "That way they'll always have a friend."

"Maybe you could just have the next one."

"How about when you have little Kate I'll have little Lily and they can be best friends?"

Mary smiled. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I think you have yourself a deal."

"Fair enough."

~The Next Morning~

Lou was up and showered, but Mary was still fast asleep. For the past few days sleeping was the only thing she really wanted to do. Not that he was complaining. It was a nice change of pace because in the previous weeks her sex drive had spun out of control and he was the one needing all the sleep he could possibly get. He knew that the birth of their baby wasn't that far off, he could feel it in his gut.

He sat down beside her on the edge of the bed. "Sweetheart." he brushed the hair away from her face. "It's time to get up."

"Go away, Lou." she said, turned to the other side. "I'm sleepy."

"I know you are." he replied. "I've let you sleep until ten o'clock. You have to get up and get showered so we meet Phyllis and Georgette at the park."

Mary turned over onto her back. "I'm so uncomfortable." she said, opening her eyes. "I just want to sleep."

"I know you do." he said. "But you're suppose to supervise and make sure everything looks good. You don't want to leave that up to Phyllis, do you?"

She sat up in bed. "Of course not." she replied. "That would be an absolute disaster."

Lou pushed up Mary's pyjama top and rubbed his hand over her stomach. "After the wedding we'll come back home and you can take a nice hot bath and relax."

"That sounds really good."

"Maybe if you're up and moving around you'll feel a little better." he felt her stomach tighten a little under his hand.

"What's wrong?"

Lou smiled. "Nothing." he went back to caressing her stomach. There was no way in the world he was going to tell her that he thought she was in labor. Besides first babies generally took a while and Rhoda's wedding was only three hours away. "You just hop in the shower and I'll make you some breakfast."

She leaned forward and kissed him. "I think you're the most wonderful husband anyone could have." she said. "I love you."

After a shower and breakfast Mary started feeling a little better. Her energy seemed to be returning and for the first time in over a week. She even had to hurry Lou along to get him in the car in time. When they arrived at the park Phyllis was going absolutely overboard in ribbon. She was tying it to the chairs and putting it all over gazebo.

"Phyllis." Mary said. "I thought that we were going to do simple and elegant."

She looked back at Mary from her stance on the ladder. "This is elegant, darling." she smiled. "After all it is a wedding. I want Rhoda to hold these memories for the rest of her life."

She looked over the bright pink ribbon. "I think it's going to be etched into her brain." she told her. "I think we need to tone it down a little."

Phyllis climbed down off the ladder. "Mary, dear." she took her by the hand. "Why don't you just have a seat and let me take care of everything. In your delicate condition you don't need to put so much stress on yourself."

"Phyllis." it was more of a warning than anything. "I'm not to stand here and let you ruin Rhoda's wedding by decorating it in Barbie pink."

"Barbie pink?" she scoffed. "This is a beautiful shade of pink. I thought it would bring out the colors in the flowers."

"Well you thought wrong." she said. "Stop putting up ribbon. Now it's fine on the backs of the chairs and a little on the posts but the rest of it looks ridiculous."

"Mary, you're not being very nice." Phyllis said. "I know that your hormones are a little out of sync, dear, but that's no reason to be rude."

"Phyllis Lindstrom you take down that ribbon right now!" she ordered. "We have a ton of other things to do in the next hour."

"Fine." she caved. "To keep you from stressing out and going into labor we'll do it your way."

"Thank you!"

Everything was coming together rather nicely. The flowers and the decorations were simple and elegant just like Rhoda had wanted. The small band was set up and ready to go. The caterers has just arrived to set everything up during the ceremony so that they could eat afterwards. The only thing left to do was make sure Rhoda was ready.

Rhoda looked absolutely beautiful in her white dress. It was stylish and perfect without being completely over the top with ribbon and lace and beads. She and Mary shared a heartfelt talk and then Rhoda's father came to walk her down in the aisle. Everyone was in their places and the bridal march was playing. And this was the first time that Mary felt a contraction strong enough to recognize it was such.

The exchanging of vows wouldn't last that long and Mary convinced herself that she could make it through. Lou had told her a million times that the first baby took the longest to have and she was counting on him to be right. She would simply make it through the ceremony and then she and Lou would decide what to do next.

Watching Marc and Rhoda exchange their vows and pledge their love for each other almost made her forget about the contraction she experienced right before things got started. And the two she had during the twenty minute ceremony. The groom kissed the bride and then they walked down the aisle. Another contraction hit. Hard this time.

Lou had been watching her the entire time and was amazed at how well she seemed to be handling the situation. As soon as Rhoda and Marc were down the aisle he was at her side. "How do you feel?"

"Like I'm in labor." she replied. "I'm having contractions."

"I know." he confessed. "I knew this morning when I woke you up."

"You knew?" she questioned. "You could have told me."

"I thought it was best to not tell you." he replied. "You wanted to be here for Rhoda and I was confident that you could make it through."

"Well I did." she smiled. "I just don't know how much longer I'm going to make it because my contractions are about ten minutes apart."

"They're about seven minutes apart." Lou corrected her. "I've been timing them."

"Seven minutes?" she asked. "I thought you said that first babies took the longest?"

"Yeah, I did." he breathed out. "I guess I was wrong. We should get you to the hospital." he told her. "The drive across town could take a while and I don't want to deliver our baby in the car."

"If you're trying to comfort me it's not working, Lou."

"I'm sorry, babe." he said. "Why don't you let Georgette walk you to the car and I'll go tell Rhoda that we have to leave, okay?"

"Okay."

~Two Hours Later~

Mary's labor progressed rather quickly and Lou was with her every step of the way. The cries of a healthy almost eight pound baby boy filled the delivery room. And soon his parents were in tears as well. The path which had led them to where they were right in that moment had been a difficult one, but they had made it. And now they were a family.

Not long after giving birth Mary was moved to a private room where the new family could get better acquainted. Lou sat on the edge of the bed beside his wife, watching as she nursed their son. "He's absolutely perfect." he smiled. "And luckily for him he looks just like you."

Mary smiled. "Oh, I don't know I think he kind of looks like you. It's hard to tell though." she replied. "I think he definitely has your appetite."

Lou laughed. "We need to settle on a name." he said. "Do you still like Hayden?"

"Don't you?"

"It's alright." he replied. "What do you think of Morgan?"

"Morgan?" she repeated. "After Rhoda?"

"Yeah." he breathed out. "I think it would be a nice gesture. And Morgan's a good name. Morgan Grant sounds solid. What do you think?"

She leaned forward and kissed him softly. "I think it's perfect." she said. "Middle name?"

"Your choice."

"Okay, how about Richards?"

"Morgan Richards Grant." he smiled. "I like it. Do you like it? Because we can't keep changing his name like before he was born."

"I love the name." she looked down at the baby. "Welcome to the world, Morgan."

The End.


End file.
